Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Shares Sold by Caxton Associates LP

Caxton Associates LP trimmed its holdings in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 98.4% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,133 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 128,279 shares during the quarter. Caxton Associates LP’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $440,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aldebaran Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the fourth quarter worth $211,000. Sycomore Asset Management raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 55.6% during the fourth quarter. Sycomore Asset Management now owns 33,107 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $5,437,000 after purchasing an additional 11,825 shares during the period. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials during the first quarter worth $1,764,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 132.7% during the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 16,704 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $2,707,000 after purchasing an additional 9,527 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 37,821 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $6,130,000 after purchasing an additional 6,001 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $196.74 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $228.74 and its 200-day moving average is $207.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $162.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.80 and a quick ratio of 1.97. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $129.21 and a 12-month high of $255.89.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.54 billion. Applied Materials had a net margin of 27.57% and a return on equity of 41.22%. The business’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.00 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 8.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 22nd. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AMAT shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Friday, May 17th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Barclays raised shares of Applied Materials from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.84.

Insider Transactions at Applied Materials

In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total value of $12,458,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 458,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $114,223,763.89. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 50,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total value of $12,458,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 458,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $114,223,763.89. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Teri A. Little sold 2,500 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.62, for a total transaction of $554,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 76,212 shares in the company, valued at $16,890,103.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 89,827 shares of company stock valued at $21,382,560 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.